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This 11-in-1 Thunderbolt dock can turn your laptop into a productivity beast
Plugable Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station.
ZDNET's key takeaways
- Plugable Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station is $290 (with 5% off coupon on Amazon) at the time of writing.
- This well-made, fully-featured Thunderbolt 4 docking station comes with all the ports you'd expect, plus a separate USB-C to HDMI dongle for systems that support dual displays.
- A big, bulky external power supply takes up a big chunk of desk space, and dual display is only supported on Pro and Max Apple Silicon systems, (all Windows systems featuring Thunderbolt ports are supported).
A great feature of Thunderbolt is that with a compatible dock, you can turn a single USB4, Thunderbolt 4/3, USB-C port into a whole array of useful ports, making it wildly useful for professionals who demand more than the scant ports available on even high-end laptops.
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The Plugable Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station not only turns a single Thunderbolt 4 port into pretty much every port you could need, it costs less than $300.
View at AmazonPlugable TBT4-UDX1 Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station tech specs
- 11 port expansion: 1x upstream Thunderbolt 4 port, 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports (40Gbps), 1x HDMI, 4x USB 3.0 (10Gbps), 2.5Gbps Ethernet, UHS-11 SD reader, combo audio jack
- 3x Thunderbolt ports deliver up to 100W charging power (96W certified)
- Dual 4K or single 8K display support (dual display is only available on Apple Mac M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max, and M3 Pro/Max systems)
- Comes with USB-C to HDMI adapter
- Works With Windows 10 and newer, and macOS 11.2
- 2-year warranty
Plugable Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station.
There are a few things that I always test when reviewing a dock.
First, I make sure that the powers all deliver what the spec sheet claims, especially features such as power output and display support, and the Plugable TBT4-UDX1 Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station delivers on all the promises it makes.
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I pushed this docking station to its limits in an attempt to get it to falter (which is where poorer quality docks stumble), with as many devices and connections as possible hooked up to it, and it performed flawlessly. Try as I might, this dock always delivered 100 percent no matter the workload.
It is worth making clear that dual display support is only available on Apple Mac M1 Pro/Max, M2 Pro/Max, and M3 Pro/Max systems, along with all Windows systems featuring Thunderbolt ports.
You have been warned.
I'm no fan of docks that become hot in use, and I've seen some get to the point where they are uncomfortable to touch, so this is something I check. Again, this dock stays comfortably cool to the touch no matter how hard it is worked, so no worries there.
The ports are all well-spaced on the docking station, which means cables can be organized and set out in a way that isn't cluttered. When ports are too close together on a dock, it can lead to a tangle of cables but also allow ease of access to all the ports, no matter how big the device in question.
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The dock is powered by an external 135W/20V power adapter, which is required to run the docking station and push the 100W charging power to the ports. The downside is that this sleek dock then requires a rather bulky external power supply that takes up a fairly big chunk of desk space, and you need to plan on having a free power outlet close to hand, which for laptop users who are on the move, can be restrictive.
ZDNET's buying advice
Plugable makes great gear at affordable prices, and the TBT4-UDX1 Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI docking station is no exception. You get to transform a single USB4, Thunderbolt 4/3, USB-C port into an assortment of useful ports, expanding the capabilities of modern port-limited laptops and desktops.
And all this for under $300 makes this Thunderbolt 4/USB4 HDMI dock a great buy.